Stay Alert, Control the Virus, Save Lives

[FirTree31]

How do you feel about the slogan changing to "stay alert" instead of of "stay home"?

I know there's quite a few posts this weekend about people's behaviour having already changed, so perhaps this will just mean people feel justified in their actions.

I thought they were going to change it to "Stay safe, save lives". I like my way better.

"Stay alert" makes it sound like other people are the infected baddies, and I don't need to change my own behaviour.

It reminds me of Jeremy Beadle.

'Beadles about'

You better watch out, coronas about.

"Stay Apart"'would be better than "stay alert" as it would be an instruction to social distance.

To me it is absolutely stupid and what does stay alert actually mean...

Also the green indicates that everything is ok and back to normal. It's not. They should've done orange so at least people don't see it and go great all is back to normal off we go.

All i hear is

CONSTANT VIGILANCE

The thing about "stay safe" is that it infers we arent safe when in actual fact most of us are pretty safe.

Yes, anyone can get it but the majority will not need to be admitted to hospital. Those that are, most will recover.

The chances of surviving this are very good. This seems to have been forgotten.

I know I'll just get the "ohhh but lasting damage lifelong health conditions" - we don't know enough about this yet but I suppose it's a personal decision whether it's a risk you're willing to take.

I myself have "lasting damage" from having glandular fever as a teenager. It has effected my life but I've dealt with it and carried on.

For me personally I'd like to be able to go to work etc and for me that would be worth the risk. For others it wouldn't and that's understandable. But we can't promote "stay at home" as a universal message anymore.

It's much better than the previous slogan.

I agree that we absolutely have to find a way to live with this virus, we can’t stay at home until a vaccine BUT surely, we needed this track & trace thing up & running first?! They’ve been banging on about how important it is (rightly so, it’s worked in other countries) so let’s get that rolled out & in use for a couple weeks!

Also, I think this implies BoJo is going to say we don’t need to be at home anymore in his announcement today but he isn’t. We are going to be able to go for a still local walk twice a day..

Maybe in response to the StAYaTfuCkInGhOmE! Brigade

I'm waiting for the detail, i.e. 'how' are we meant to stay alert, what, in practice, does it actually mean. My instant reaction to hearing the new slogan was 'clear as mud' and how does staying alert help to control the virus.

When you think of how many 'is it ok' discussions there are to the 'stay and home' and 'don't travel unless essential' when these things are very clear, the most important consideration of any message has surely got to be clarity.

To me it is pretty clear. Stay alert. Don't forget that it's still "there". Carry on social distancing. Wash your hands.

If there was burglaries in your area and you got told to stay alert you'd know what it meant. I don't see how it's any different?

Use your bloody common sense might have been a good one.

I am surprised he's changing it today as it implies what we're doing now will change tomorrow when in reality not a lot will probably change but psychologically I should imagine people will see this as lockdown over.

I thought he would be outlining what's to come today after Lockdown is lifted not actually changing things today.

I wish things like this wouldn't get leaked. It would be much better to hear this slogan alongside the context of the road map. Stay at home has seemed pretty clear, in some ways too restrictive as many business that could have remained open, closed. It seems that they want to get those back open and start the process of gently moving the economy again. On the face of it, it seems sensible advise. If you have to go out be alert, stay safe, keep the spread of the virus under control.

I hate it. Red means danger, green means go. We are nowhere near 'go'. Im honestly starting to wonder if this is herd immunity without admitting it and Im not one for conspiracy theories whatsoever

The Italy numbers don't necessarily include cate home deaths- apparently they're recorded regionally, but possibly not included in their overall numbers.

I think it was 2014/2015 that 28,000 people died of flu in the UK.

The government need us all to start going out. We have to get bs k to normal and learn to live with this virus- like we live with flu.

I don't care about the slogan. tbh, I only just became aware of the old/current slogan.

The aspects I am most upset about (freedom limits, effective stop of all education, censoring of people who think the price for control could be too high & not properly discussed, very bad science, snitching culture, my own insecure employment situation) will barely be changed on Monday onwards.

"The thing about "stay safe" is that it infers we arent safe when in actual fact most of us are pretty safe.'
I disagree. To me 'stay safe' suggests we are all safe at present and we should continue to stay that way.

Glass half empty or glass half full?

Noteverything - yes, same.

Look, I don't think I'm going to die, because I'm young and healthy and female. But I know 5+ young healthy people in their 20s and 30s who have been ill for weeks, and totally shattered for weeks more. That is a "mild" disease but I want to be able to look after my ten month old, and being flat on my back for weeks sounds grim. I also know two women my age who've been hospitalised with "moderate" symptoms. They'll be fine eventually, but they are so upset.

It's not just about dying or not dying.

And that’s perfectly understandable Singingatmidnight, I don’t think anyone actively wants to catch it. But what do you suggest? We can’t stay at home indefinitely. And while i don’t think lockdown needs to be lifted now (and it won’t be so it’s a moot point), we have got to get back ‘out there’ at some point. So staying ‘alert’ to the dangers is a pretty reasonable message. Don’t forget social distancing, hand washing etc.

singing lots of things can do that to you. I was off work for a month with glandular fever. I have lasting damage. It is contagious. There is no "cure" for that either. It was a shit time for me but life carried on.

Getting Ill for a few weeks in your life, dare I say it, is quite normal.

I also have a child to look after so I get it. It's not something you want but you can't lock yourself away for ever. You can of course take precautions which I will be doing.

The message people will take is it’s fine to be out and about again, visiting friends and family. If that’s what’s meant and it’s part of a strategy that’s been explained and evidenced....great.

Otherwise I don’t have a clue.

It's meaningless waffle but we shouldn't knock Johnson for exercising one of his few talents.

I don't want slogans. I want firm, clear instructions on when my DH can go back to work and detailed information about what we're living on if he can't. I also want the restrictions lifted enough to allow me to go and sit in a park for an hour or so every day. I need a dentist and DH needs a face to face medical appointment but there's no chance for those yet.

Beyond that, not bothered - I'm past caring about practically everything. Johnson can shove his slogan where the sun don't shine.

He/govt have leaked so much in so many directions in the past week that no one now knows what the hell they're on about or which direction they're going in. BJ's approach to managing corona virus appears to be to confuse the living fuck out of the populace until all trust is gone.

Stay alert, yeah whatever. To what exactly? People are desperate to try and salvage businesses, to sort out childcare, to be able to make plans, and hopefully to avoid a second wave that results in a second complete lockdown while being able to make a living. Basic leadership at this point would be good.

How can anyone be alert to something that's visible to the naked eye? Be alert for what exactly? Covid isn't a suspicious package ffs. I really hope this isn't the message otherwise we really are fucked.

@Drivingdownthe101 and @TrustTheGeneGenie I don't disagree with you. I was knocked out for weeks with flu a few years ago, and of course life went on. The difference was, it wasn't affecting that many other people at the same time. Me being ill didn't do any wider damage, whereas lots of people getting infected with a new disease simultaneously could do that.

I don't disagree with anything you're saying. I guess I'm just feeling frustrated that a lot of people seem to be seeing this in black and white - dead/fine, lockdown/normal, nothing open/everything open - rather than a longterm situation that needs managing. That's not addressed to either of you, who seem perfectly sensible, but the people around me in real life.